An introduction to American history, European beginnings . long as they were true to an oath of allegiance which theyhad to make to the king upon receiving the land. Kneel-ing before him, bareheaded and unarmed, they had toplace their hands between his and swear, M becomeliege man of yours for life and limb and death, God helpme. After this oath the king, with a kiss, conferred theland. The ceremony was called doing homage ; theone who received the land became the man or vassalof the lord who granted it, and the land itself was calledhis fief. If a man broke his oath he was supposed toforfeit
An introduction to American history, European beginnings . long as they were true to an oath of allegiance which theyhad to make to the king upon receiving the land. Kneel-ing before him, bareheaded and unarmed, they had toplace their hands between his and swear, M becomeliege man of yours for life and limb and death, God helpme. After this oath the king, with a kiss, conferred theland. The ceremony was called doing homage ; theone who received the land became the man or vassalof the lord who granted it, and the land itself was calledhis fief. If a man broke his oath he was supposed toforfeit his land.^ Very often these grants of land were so vast that therewere many tenants and subtenants under the tenant inchief; that is, the lord or bishop to whom the king hadfirst given the fief. Each one of these tenants and sub-tenants, upon receiving land from the lord of the estate, 1 This system of holding land was called feudalism. This word is not derivedtrom feud, meaning hostility, but from feud, meaning fief. 146 INTRODUCTION TO AMERICAN HISTORY. Vassal doing Homage to his Lord had to do him homage and become his vassal and swearto him an oath of allegiance, just as the lord himself haddone when he received the land from the king. All thosetenants who could perform military service on horsebackwere called knights. The others came on foot, armedwith a lance or spear. WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR 147 Warfare in feudal times. There was constant fightinggoing on between vassals and lords, for if a vassal beganto feel himself strong enough to defeat his lord in war,he seldom hesitated to break his oath of homage andtake up arms against his lord, using his own vassals tohelp him. Often, too, he changed his allegiance fromone lord to another. The five centuries or so duringwhich land was held under the feudal system — insteadof being bought and sold or rented for money, as it isnowadays — were troubled times. The men who werestrongest got what they wanted, and the weaker weretra
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